Friday, March 20, 2020

Spotted Salamanders: Big Night tips

Adult Yellow Spotted Salamander
Despite the fact that our Ted (Watt) Talk on spotted salamanders was cancelled does not mean that the spotted salamanders have cancelled their yearly migration to the vernal pools and ponds of Heath.

The yellow spotted salamander is one of the more elusive inhabitants of Heath. For most of the year it lives underground and only emerges in the spring time to breed and lay eggs in wetlands and vernal pools. When on the move the breeding is most successful in vernal pools because these are areas that dry up in the summer time and that means their predators, fish and newts don’t live there.

When the conditions are just right, most of the salamanders will head for the pools on one night. In Amherst, they call it Big Night and it is very exciting to see. Folks come out to watch but to also keep the critters safe from cars since salamanders don’t know about roads. We encourage you to do this in Heath as well. And please keep track of what you see. Print and use this form (Google Drive PDF.) Take a photo of your completed form and email it to us (heath.library@gmail.com) at the library. We will post the results on the library website.

Big Night occurs each spring when spotted salamanders and wood frogs migrate from their winter woodland habitats to nearby wetlands to breed. During the first warm spring rains, usually in April, after dark and with a stable temperature of 40 degrees or above amphibians are likely to be moving. The ice has to be melted off the water as well. We recommend that you find a road that is less traveled by and look for the salamanders there. If you go into the woods when they are migrating you may hurt or kill them by accidentally stepping on them. In the past they have been sighted on Swamp road, down Hosmer Rd on the Fairground end, Long Hill Rd. and Stone Hill Rd.

Below are the guidelines that the Hitchcock Center in Amherst suggests.
  • If you have reflective clothing, please wear it for safety.
  • Please do not touch the animals unless they are in danger while on the road. If you do have to help one, please do not carry them in your hands, use a wet leaf. The very best thing to do is find the volunteers whose job will be to have buckets ready for collecting critters on the road.
  • Please make sure your flashlights are covered in red cellophane because regular light can impact the migrating creatures.
  • Be very careful if you have to cross the road as the vehicles can have difficulty seeing you. DO NOT TAKE ANY CHANCES, CARS WILL NOT BE ASKED TO SLOW DOWN.
  • Please be aware of where your children are at all times and make sure they and you know the rules to correctly enjoy the salamander and frog migration. For young children, please accompany them at all times for everyone's safety.

More information can be found in this Highlights Magazine article or google animalfactsguide.com and wildlifelandtrust.org .

If you miss the Big Night, don’t forget that the ponds and vernal pools in the spring are teaming with new life. They are a great place to study life cycles and critters. Even when you are social distancing you can enjoy the company of our natural world.

Two more good sources of information on the spotted salamanders suggested by our good friend Ted Watt:

https://www.gazettenet.com/Earth-Matters-24295214 An article Ted wrote for the Gazette about the Henry Street tunnels. But has some good natural history, too.

https://harriscenter.org/programs-and-education/citizen-science/salamander-crossing-brigades/faq#what-is-big-night The Harris center in southern New Hampshire is another of the regional leaders in salamander natural history and monitoring. Their site has everything anyone could want to know.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

COVID-19 Information

Reliable online resources for information on the Coronavirus:


Town of Heath Board of Health https://townofheath.org/?p=n.0&cid=8


Massachusetts Department of Health https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

World Health Organization https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Telephone Numbers:
COVID-19 Information Line

508-799-1019

Massachusetts 2-1-1
Informational and referral hotline 211. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Disaster Distress Helpline "Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Disaster Distress Helpline is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories."

Healthcare:

Massachusetts Health Connector- "Extended enrollment period through April 25.
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, an extended enrollment period is available through April 25, 2020 for qualified Massachusetts residents who are uninsured." https://www.mahealthconnector.org/

Online Resources

Please explore these online resources while our library is closed to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Digital Catalog

Digital Catalog (downloadable eBooks, Audiobooks, Videos, Magazines, as well as sections with things of interest for kids and teens.


Statewide Reference Databases

http://galesites.com/menu/mlin_w_heathfpl

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners licenses many electronic resources for use by all Massachusetts residents from their homes, local libraries, and schools.

Newspapers

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/signin/HeathFreePublicLibrary
Advocate, The (North Adams, MA) 2010 - 2014
Amherst Bulletin (MA) 1994 - Current
Berkshire Eagle, The (Pittsfield, MA) 2003 - Current
Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA) 1994 - Current
North Adams Transcript (MA) 2003 - 2014
Recorder, The (Greenfield, MA) 1997 - Current
Republican, The (Springfield, MA) 1988 - Current
Springfield Advocate (MA) 1996 - 1998
Springfield Examiner (MA) 2011 - 2016
English Valley Advocate (Easthampton, MA) 1996 - Current

For in-library access on the Heath Library desktop computers, clicking on this address should automatically get you in, and then click on the link for “Massachusetts.”  This same address can be used by patrons remotely or using the Heath Library laptops.  You will be prompted to enter your library card number.

C/W MARS Reference Databases

https://www.cwmars.org/search/databases

Enter your library card number and password to access these databases. Available databases are:
  • NoveList Plus  -  NoveList Plus is a comprehensive online readers’ advisory tool. Patrons can search among hundreds of thousands of popular fiction titles, and also retrieve author read-alikes, book lists, book discussion guides and more.
  • OverDrive  -  Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and streaming video on your phone, mobile device or computer. Read, listen or watch instantly or download for offline usage. Gale databases are funded and supported by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the Massachusetts Library System

Boston Public Library Electronic Resources

Use of these resources may require a Boston Public Library eCard.

An eCard is a Boston Public Library card that you can sign up for online and which provides access to all online resources, including OverDrive and Hoopla.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Spotted Salamanders Program

Learn About Spotted Salamanders with Ted Watt- CANCELLED

Friday, March 27, 6:30 pm until 8:00 pm
18 Jacobs Rd at the former Heath Elementary School building
Adult Spotted Salamander

Update 3/17/2020
Interested in watching the spring salamander migration? There are many vernal pools in Heath that are destinations for the migrating salamanders. We hope to make some suggested locations available soon.
Here are some tips from the Hitchcock Center that they observe each spring for their Big Night.
Big Night occurs each spring when spotted salamanders and wood frogs migrate from their winter woodland habitats to nearby vernal wetlands to breed. During the first warm spring rains, in March or sometimes April, after dark and with a stable temperature of 40 degrees or above amphibians are likely to be moving.
• If you have reflective clothing, please wear it for safety.
• Please do not touch the animals unless they are in danger while on the road. If you do have to help one, please do not carry them in your hands, use a wet leaf. The very best thing to do is find the volunteers whose job will be to have buckets ready for collecting critters on the road.
• Please make sure your flashlights are covered in red cellophane because regular light can impact the migrating creatures. We do have a supply of cellophane so please ask for some.
• Be very careful if you have to cross the road as the vehicles can have difficulty seeing you. DO NOT TAKE ANY CHANCES, CARS WILL NOT BE ASKED TO SLOW DOWN.
• Please be aware of where your children are at all times and make sure they and you know the rules to correctly enjoy the salamander and frog migration. For young children, please accompany them at all times for everyone's safety.
More information can be found in this Highlights Magazine article.

Below is a page from the book A Field Guide to the Animals of Vernal Pools, Lots of good information about the Spotted Salamander. Click on the image to enlarge for easier reading.
 = = = Original post below = = =

Come out on an early spring evening to learn more about these amazing amphibians, living in the forests all around us. Ted, a Naturalist with the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst, will show images and explain their habitats, life cycle, food, and predators. Come find out more about Salamander Big Night and how you can learn about them for yourselves. We will be presenting a community-wide citizen science project that all can be involved with.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

This indoor program will prepare you to head outside on a rainy evening in the early spring and look for migrating spotted salamanders.

Light desserts will be available.

 The program is sponsored by the Heath School Building Use Committee and the Heath Free Public Library.